How to Protect Tomato Plants From the Hot Sun

White shades may be helpful in protecting tomato plants from the sun.

Tomatoes are one of the most favored vegetable garden plants in America, but can be difficult to induce to fruit where summers are extremely hot. If your plants are suffering from problems like blossom end rot, or they simply refuse to produce fruit, it's likely they are overheated or water stressed. Several tactics have been developed by gardeners to help offset the effects of the hot sun on tomatoes, from liberally applying mulch to protecting plants with shade cloths.

1

Apply up to 4 inches of mulch around your plants without covering their leaves. Provide smaller plants with a mulch-free zone directly around their stems until they are tall enough that none of their leaves is below the mulch line. Adding mulch as they grow is another good way to keep tomatoes mulched without affecting their development.

2

Train your tomatoes to a tomato cage to allow them to provide themselves with adequate shade. Wind the vines through the cage to produce a plant that is more upright -- the tomato plant's own leaves will shade the plant from the sun.

3

Water tomatoes deeply and frequently, as often as twice daily for containerized plants. Keeping the soil moist helps cool the plant's roots, and deep watering encourages them to grow straight down into levels of soil that are less affected by ambient heat.

4

Add a 30 to 50 percent shade cloth or a white piece of cloth that breathes well, such as cheesecloth, to a frame built above your tomato plants. Leave enough space between the tomato plants and the cloth to allow plenty of workspace and encourage good airflow or your plants may develop fungal diseases.

Things You Will Need

Mulch

Tomato cages

Shade cloth (optional)

Cheesecloth (optional)

Frame

Tip

If heat is a chronic problem in your area, look for tomatoes bred for heat tolerance, such as "Saladette," "Solar Fire," "Carnival," "Small Fry," "Arkansas Traveler" or "Heatwave II." These tomatoes will set fruit under hot and dry conditions better than many standard tomato varieties.